How to price pressure washing jobs without losing money
Most pricing advice for pressure washing starts with a number per square foot. That number is an output, not an input. Two operators can charge the same $0.15/sq ft, and one makes a good living while the other quietly loses money, because their costs are different. Here's how to work out your price.
Step 1: Work out what one hour of your crew really costs
Add three things:
- Your pay per hour. What would you pay someone to do your job? Use that. Owner time is not free.
- Helper wages for each extra person on the job.
- Overhead per billable hour = monthly insurance + equipment payments + vehicle + marketing + phone/software, divided by the hours you actually spend on paid jobs.
Example: $680 a month of overhead ÷ 80 billable hours = $8.50 an hour. Add your $35 pay and one hour of a solo operator costs $43.50.
Step 2: Turn square feet into hours with production rates
A production rate is how many square feet your rig cleans per hour on the tools. Time yourself on a few jobs and use the slow-but-realistic number. Here are the starter values we use in the BidRight calculator. They are placeholders, so replace them with your own timings:
| Surface | Starter rate |
|---|---|
| House wash, vinyl (soft wash) | 1,200 sq ft/hr |
| Concrete driveway (surface cleaner) | 800 sq ft/hr |
| Paver patio | 450 sq ft/hr |
| Wood deck (clean only) | 300 sq ft/hr |
| Roof soft wash (asphalt shingle) | 1,000 sq ft/hr |
Then add the time that isn't spraying: setup and teardown (say 0.5 h) and driving (round-trip miles ÷ average speed).
Step 3: Add chemicals and vehicle
Estimate chemicals per square foot for each surface. Roof and wood treatments cost far more than concrete. Then multiply round-trip miles by your vehicle cost per mile.
Step 4: Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)
If the job costs $217 and you want a 30% margin, the price is $217 ÷ 0.70 = $310. Don't just add 30%: $217 × 1.3 = $282, and your profit is then only 23% of the price.
Worked example
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| House wash 2,000 sq ft ÷ 1,200/hr | 1.67 h |
| Driveway 1,000 sq ft ÷ 800/hr | 1.25 h |
| Setup/teardown + 20 miles at 30 mph | 0.5 h + 0.67 h |
| Total crew-hours | 4.1 h |
| Labour ($35/h) + overhead ($8.50/h) | $142.92 + $34.71 |
| Chemicals + vehicle ($0.70/mile) | $25.00 + $14.00 |
| Total cost (break-even) | $216.63 |
| Price at 30% margin, rounded up to $5 | $310 |
That works out to about $0.10 per square foot, near the low end of the "$0.10–$0.40 per sq ft" range you'll see quoted online. The difference is that you now know why, and what happens to your profit if you go lower.
Step 5: Set a minimum job price
Every visit carries setup and a drive before you spray anything. A small patio can cost you more than it pays. Pick a minimum and stick to it. See how to set a minimum job price.
Step 6: Check your estimates against reality
After each job, write down the actual hours. If jobs keep taking longer than estimated, lower your production rates. That's the fastest way to fix your pricing.